This week we debate and pick our September Book Club selection. Hint: it sounds like a real bummer. Also, Matt pitches three mystery books to Peter. Finally, Matt reads another “real” listener email.

Books Mentioned:

American Rust by Philipp Meyer* (September Book Selection)

Paper Lion by George Plimpton

Darkmans by Nicola Baker

A Perfect Spy by John Le Carre

Exile’s Return by Malcolm Cowley

The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek

The Neon Rain by James Lee Burke

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

The Cabinet of Curiosities by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

The Last Great Road Bum by Hector Tobar

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This week we discuss Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser, our August Book. An adventure historical novel on the surface but dig deeper and there is more going on. We also cast our movie version of the book.

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This week we put on our professor hats and create college courses. Peter lays out why WWII provides such an interesting setting for novels. Meanwhile, Matt leads the discussion on why society is like prison.

Books mentioned:

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk

The Naked and The Dead by Norman Mailer

The Balkan Trilogy by Olivia Manning

The Night Watch by Sarah Waters

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky

Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada

Against the Grain by James C Scott

Understanding Media by Marshall McLuhan

Welcome to the Machine by Derrick Jensen and George Draffan

Demian by Hermann Hesse

The Magus by John Fowles

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey

This week we discuss The Topeka School by Ben Lerner. Spoiler, we both disliked the book. Matt goes in depth about his reasons and Peter gets reminded why he gave the book 2 stars. Finally, three new books that look interesting.

Books mentioned

The Topeka School by Ben Lerner

The Last Great Road Bum by Hector Trobar

Black Bottom Saints by Alice Randall

Stranger in the Shogun's City: A Japanese Woman and Her World by Amy Stanley

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This week we discuss To Start A War, Robert Draper’s excellent new book about how the Bush administration led the country into war in Iraq. We also discuss Flashman, our August book club selection. Also, Matt recommends Philip Pullman’s book Daemon Voices: Essays on Storytelling. Finally, we end with some new additions to our TBR.

Books mentioned:

To Start A War by Robert Draper

Daemon Voices by Philip Pullman

Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser (August Book Club)

The Silence of the White City by Eva Garcia Saenz

Missionaries by Phil Klay

The Cold Millions by Jess Walter

Contact:

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We discuss our weekly reads, and then it goes off the rails. Topics include social awkwardness, Peter taking off his glasses to avoid being scared, and Matt teaches Peter about Alexander the Great.

Books mentioned.

Hard Rain Falling by Don Carpenter

The Mist by Ragnar Jonasson

Crooked River by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

To Start A War by Robert Draper

Alexander the Great: His Life and His Mysterious Death by Anthony Everitt

The Great Secret by Jennet Conant

August Book Club

Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser

Autumn Book Club

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

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Matt visits a book sale and ends up with some classics. We nominate books for our August book club and create a seasonal book club while we're at it. We discuss the Booker longlist nominations and more.

August Book Club: Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser

Fall Book Club: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Other Books mentioned:

Hard Rain Falling by Don Carpenter

Crooked River by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Norco '80 By Peter Houlahan

Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey

Black Leopard Red Wolf by Marlon James

The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens

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On this episode, Matt and Peter discuss the new David Mitchell novel, Utopia Avenue. What they liked, how it fits into the larger Mitchell universe, and where does Mitchell go from here.

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On this episode we discuss criticism, an upcoming Utopia Avenue podcast, and much more.

Books mentioned on this episode.

The Collected Stories- Eudora Welty

Utopia Avenue- David Mitchell

Normal People- Sally Rooney

The Better Angels of Our Nature- Steven Pinker

Topeka School- Ben Lerner

The Group- Mary McCarthy

Slade House- David Mitchell

At Swim-Two-Birds- Flann O'Brien

Last Orders- Graham Swift

We discuss two books we finished, starting the new David Mitchell, and pick our desert island books.

Matt's books.

The Bridge on the Drina- Ivo Andric

United States- Gore Vidal

The Count of Monte Cristo- Alexandre Dumas

Masters of Atlantis- Charles Portis

Leave it to Psmith- P.G. Wodehouse

Library of America- Dawn Powell

Votan- John James

Peter's Books

Faster- Neal Bascomb

Utopia Avenue- David Mitchell

Catch 22- Joseph Heller

Any Human Heart- William Boyd

The Magic Mountain- Thomas Mann

The Night Watch- Sarah Waters

For Whom the Bell Tolls- Ernest Hemingway

Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude- Ross Gay

The Silence of the White City- Eva Garcia Saenz

The Mother Code- Carole Stivers